Iceland rated most peaceful (USA is #97)

Source: Associated Press

Canada is among the more peaceful countries in the world, but still a ways from the top, according to the Global Peace Index released Tuesday by Britain's Economist Intelligence Unit.

The index, which ranks a number of internal and external factors, found Scandinavian countries among the most peaceful, taking the top three spots.

Canada came in at No. 11, one spot ahead of Switzerland and two ahead of Sweden, which came in 13th.

That compared with Britain at 49th spot and the United States at 97, a ranking that had it behind countries such as Kuwait, Nicaragua and Libya.

... The U.S. ranking was one place lower than last year and way below countries such as Costa Rica, Madagascar and Chile.

Read more: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080520.wpeace0520/BNStory/International/home

as possible.

The next time you hear someone say that, ask why the terrorists don't attack Iceland?!

ICELAND......island of ICE. Nobody lives there except the descendants of vikings..........

"live-and-let-live" philosophies.

The scenery looks stunning!

chatting with people because there's nothing resembling crime there.

They will someday be the new OPEC of the north because of it.

I think that Greenland is far less livable.

Most days the highs are in the 30s and 40s.

"Look why would anyone try to blow up an ice factory in Wichita?" :eyes:

I wonder if they counted Bosnia, and some other such conflicts in this report. I'm not saying by any means that the US isn't WAY too warlike. But we are called on by the international community from time to time to intervene in conflicts.

Unfortunately those at the bottom of the list, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Somalia, are there ENTIRELY because of the USA.

Or should I say the bottom 10 ?


hmmm.

anybody see a common link as to what all ten of these nations seem to have in common ?

The Top 10 most peaceful countries:

1. Iceland

2. Denmark

3. Norway

4. New Zealand

5. Japan.

6. Ireland

7. Portugal

8. Finland

9. Luxembourg

10. Austria



No ?

Is here: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/rankings/2008/

:crazy:

http://geography.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?zi=1/XJ&sdn=geography&cdn=education&tm=14&gps=102_209_788_445&f=00&su=p504.1.336.ip_&tt=2&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.un.org/Overview/unmember.html

Guess the micronesian countries or whoever makes up the remaining 55 countries were non factors in factoring in the data.

But I guess old guys in dresses are pretty peaceful.....unless you are a preteen boy. :rofl:

(from OP article)"Israel, Afghanistan, Sudan, Somalia and Iraq were at the bottom of the list." “The U.S. does so badly because has the highest proportion of jailed people in the world. And it has high levels of homicide and high potential for terrorist attacks,” Mr. Killelea told The Associated Press. “Its overall score is a reflection of that. The index is not making any moral statements by the ranking.”

Link to full list:
http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/rankings/2008/

----------------------------

Graphic from wikipedia:

:wtf:

they describe exactly what basis they make the rankings on

i am not going to get shot by an elite firearm or even a cheap firearm in austria, it just ain't gonna happen, it's about as likely as having a meteor fall out of the sky and hit me on the head

however at home in the u.s.a. i have been shot at, i have been threatened by gun, and every day i do have to plan where i go, at what time, and in what vehicle to be safe from being killed -- even going to a gas station after dark is a bad idea around here, some of them are hit all the time by armed robbers

even going to the bank in the u.s.a. is somewhat gambling with your life, because armed robberies on banks are enjoying a huge come back, at least around the greater new orleans area they are

in austria i can go to the bank and the grocery store and stroll around the neighborhood and never be concerned that some crackhead is going to gun me down

therefore austria must rank higher than the u.s.a.

if you want to make a ranking about who is the bigger hypocrite that my friend is a different list for a different day

in the middle are OK...but I'd like to see the whole thing...:)

Shame

Time to take a bow. :)

Before ripping on me, heres where I coming from.

Since the early 20th century, you could say we have been the most powerful country in the world, and certainly since WWII. When you look through past superpowers (going back to Persia if you want), that country/empire will always push its viewpoint and its interests. Unlike most former powers, we don't invade to conquer. We've invaded to pad our interests, but never to conquer a country. So despite how much Bush fucks everything up, I will always maintain that our military power has been used for more good than bad.

--many of which set things up so they don't have to pay taxes here.

Not to mention the numerous Indian nations that we displaced or simply killed the inhabitants of while conquering the mainland.

you are reading the list wrong, it is not just about our ability to go in and help police the world or the united kingdom (for example) would not be so far ahead on the list above us -- and the reason the u.k. is no. 49 is very likely because of your very high odds of being in a terror event compared to other countries (london has a significant risk of terror events and has experienced significant threats or bombings in the recent past)

this study includes acts of murder as being acts against the peace, hence the u.s.a. drops in the ranking so spectacularly not because of being involved in foreign wars that the u.k. and canada are ALSO involved in but specifically because of our rate of violent crime and our elevated risk of being murdered

it does NOT come with the territory, there is no reason that we couldn't be at least as high on the list as the u.k. if not canada, these nations participate in the world and do their part to "police" the world, but they are most pleasant and peaceful to live in because they do not have the dreadful rate of violent crime

there is nothing peaceful about living in new orleans and opening my newspaper each morning to check and see who has been killed and in what neighborhood, it is no different from what people do in countries at war -- looking to see where the bombs have fallen and who has been killed -- the threat of violent crime is a threat against the ordinary person's peace of mind

therefore the study was correct to include the threat of murder and to drop the u.s.a.'s ranking significantly as a result

We suck. :-(

as i said in the other post, if you examine the survey, they include your risk of being a victim of murder, which i personally do agree is a significant threat to my sense of well-being and my ability to be at peace in my home and in my neighborhood

Sorry.

You took the words out of my mouth.

:hi:

the rankings are based on what is your chance of having a peaceful place where you are not impacted by an act of violence, be it a crime or be it an act or war

other political points can be made by people making other lists

i've never heard anyone say anything bad about iceland as a place to live or visit other than the booze costs too much, you don't worry about getting killed there as you do when visiting, say, new orleans or miami where visitors have to be told where it is safe for them to go -- a tourist from iceland was killed here some time back but i never heard of a tourist from new orleans being killed in reyjavik (can't spell it, sorry)

:eyes:

It feels peaceful here. :thumbsup:

earth does your avatar say? I can't make out the writing, but I sure recognize the face. :shrug:

It says 'God Loves Me.'

:spank: :spank:

it has to do with fundies who advocate that he was an Atheist, when in fact he was religious and very superstitous; as were all dictators. The catholic church did nothing other than shake his had and kiss their ass, nor did they excommunicate him.

Tschuss!

:sarcasm:

http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi/results/world-map.php

check out the difference between the EU and the USA. Bulgaria is the only EU country with a medium level of peace, all others are high or very high.

That could explain the relative peace.

Victims of violence don't have a choice to 'live in peace'.

Guess that's karma biting us right in the ass. Thanks a f***** lot, Ollie! Guess your motto is: Semper I, others die! x(

Both lost WWII, and one got two bombs dropped on it.

Iceland has about as many people as some streets. Same for Luxembourg.

Denmark, Norway, etc, have fewer people than the city of New York, even if you combine some of them together.

Then of course there is the history of imperial power wealth accumulation, and nobody gives that up completely.

Then some of the countries that were de-colonized never had the chance to go through what the colonizer countries did prior to colonizing; their own civil wars to see how the country would be run.

Obviously a list like that has more complexities to it than anyone could probably list. You take into account the populations, how the country started, why the country started, when the country started, where the country has been, where it hasn't, particular resources, the lack of particular resources, etc, etc, etc, the list is almost endless as to all the variables involved. Some countries with 4 million people are the most peaceful, others aren't. Why? You could point to something, which would lead you to something else, which would lead you to something that has nothing to do with the original reason, but impacted a different country thousands of miles away in some way that you didn't think it would.

It's a nice list as a jumping off point to something(which could be very interesting), but Iceland being the most peaceful country is...alright, so?

i think as a jumping off point is all it's good for, still, it does beg the question, WHY do we have such mysteries as canada's death by gun rate is so much less than ours (also explored in bowling for columbine) or why should a one-time true empire like the u.k. (considering all its history and problems) still have more peace and more ability for people to get along without gang war compared to the u.s.a. and our ongoing inability for different groups to get along without shooting at each other in the public streets -- there's a cowboy attitude in the u.s.a. and mexico where it seems like we have entire criminal gangs that settle matters by violence and it's pretty much completely out of control in both nations, yet you don't see this in canada even tho there's plenty of drugs there too (u.s.a is 97, mexico is 93 and probably going to get only more violent on next year's list, but canada is way up there at 11!)

there is no use comparing u.s.a. to madagascar, a country where so many people don't even have electricity or teevee and have no idea how big the world is or even what to have ambitions for, i have to admit it, while visiting there, i wondered WHY they were so peaceful, they have nothing and in their shoes i think i'd be really really pissed but for now they have a close family/village life which seems to keep people from coming unglued and joining gangs

You KNOW that's what Freepers would say!

:rofl: